‘A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow’ Charlotte Bronte
Article by
Catherine O'Keeffe.
No wiser words, insomnia is all too common whether it's perimenopause or not, physical symptoms or emotional symptoms are generally the reasons behind interrupted sleep. It can be hot flushes, night sweats, waking for the bathroom etc but the more common or underlying reason is stress and anxiety. We have talked about the importance of the liver and this comes into play big time in sleep....cortisol is the stress hormone that works on the liver and the pancreas to maintain glucose levels, it is generally higher in the morning and lower at night time - if your cortisol levels are high at night time it has a direct impact on your body functions and your sleep. The liver will be overworking when it should be recovering, R.E.M. Sleep will be elusive - simply put your body can't relax because its getting signals to keep it alert. We all know it's hard to relax if your worried and a vicious cycle sets in - this is why sleep hygiene is VITAL.
Firstly look at what is waking you up - if it's 'a ruffled mind', night sweats etc - look for the symptom and then start to dig deeper......in my view it always comes back to stress. Also look at the time your waking - here's a brief summary:
11-1am - Gallbladder, at this time generally cholesterol is being processed and the body preparing for deeper sleep. Your overnight detox starts
1-3am - Liver - starts its work filtering toxins from the blood, deep sleep if all is going well
3-5am - Lungs - the lungs are working and are responsible for 70% of body toxins being released ! The lungs also work with the skin, threat and sinuses - so waking around this time can indicate an issue in one of these areas or you might wake with a scratchy throat if a cold is coming on.
5-7am - Large intestine - is now ready for release the body's overnight dermis through the bowels.
7-9am - Stomach time - I hope your up ! Eat a good breakfast this is the best time for the largest meal of the day and lunchtime.
I think this provides a great resource if your struggling to find out why your waking, sleep is so important for our body to refresh and repair itself from the day.
If you need help with perimenopause or menopause symptoms, Catherine provides a full coaching service (Wellnesswarrior.ie) to help women who are finding hormonal change challenging. It includes a lifestyle audit, a practical plan for movement/exercise, sleep, meditation and relaxation that works with your life. It includes nutrition for weight management and energy and recommendations for supplements.
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